User blog:Slapson/Abnormality Description
An Abnormality refers to a set of supernatural traits that all humans will manifest at some point in their lives. Coming in many forms and unique to each person, they are an intregal part to the world of the Abnormalverse, having shaped history ever since they've started to appear in 1946, and even before then. What exactly an Abnormality is at its core is still a subject of discussion, and their origins are a perpetual mystery. Two Basic Parts Every Abnormality is unique to each person, although some can be very similar to one another in practice. All Abnormalities come in two parts: *The Ability is the part of an Abnormality that grants its user a power that benefits them. This is what most people think of when discussing Abnormalities, and they can often be referred to as such. Many Abilities are discovered upon their initial manifestation, though others may take time to be learned of. Many types of Abilities can appear, such as controlling electricity, or turning into a swarm of bees. *The Aversion or the Weakness is the part of an Abnormality that is inevitably detrimental to its user and dooms them to some hindrance. They may be interrelated to the use of an Ability, but not always. Some Aversions may be severe and constantly active, while others may only activate under certain conditions, allowing certain people to ignore their weakness as long as they know how to avoid invoking it. This shouldn't be confused with just the natural limits of the Ability, but instead should be treated as a seperate trait entirely.. Surpassed and Destroyed Abnormalities Every Ability must have an Aversion to exist alongside it, though if the user experiences a life-altering event, their powers may slightly change. A Surpassed Abnormality is an Abnormality in which the user can completely ignore their Aversion. This shouldn't be confused with simply avoiding triggering the weakness, but rather being able to face the weakness head-on without experiencing the typical detriments. The Aversion is still technically there, but it's been completely neutralized. Certain Abnormalities are incapable of achieving this feat due to natural limitations in how the Abilities work or because the Aversion may be too tightly knight in with the use of the Ability. Sometimes, surpassing an Abnormality is only temporary. Those who have Surpassed their Abnormalities tend to be quite strong, as they no longer have a visible weakness to exploit. Some may even be able to turn their Aversions into new powers that they can control. A Destroyed Abnormality is the inverse of a Surpassed Abnormality, where the Ability disappears, but not the Aversion. These are even rarer. Classifications Abnormalities are inherently unpredictable, encouraging attempts to classify them by consistent traits in order to better communicate what someone may be capable of. Abnormalities will often overlap in two or more categories. |-|Physical= These are Abnormalities that focus on changes to the body. Such changes can take the form of permanent physical mutation (such as by gaining extra body parts or altering existing ones), achieving such changes willfully, or by using an exterior catalyst. These Abnormalities are the most likely to overlap with other types, since a transformation or modified physiology can often lead into other powers. Examples: *Aya Borracho (One Beer); Growing stronger by getting drunk. Her Aversion is physical as well, rendering her unable to drink anything that isn't slightly alcoholic. *Carter Daimler (SPEEDBOAT); Turning into a ship, complete with appropriate mechanisms and weapons. *Sidney Lynch (Head Like A Hole); She has a stinger and altered nervous system connected to it, which lets her extract memories and genetic information from others. *Tracy Barrett (Eclipse); She can shapeshift into a swarm of insects. |-|External= Dealing with what surrounds the user, emphasizing the manipulation of the environment. The classification is broad; any ability that can change the environment without coming from the body can qualify as External. To dispel ambiguity, multiple sub-classifications have been described. *'Forming' *'Kinetic' *'Psychic' *'Mechakinetic' |-|Forming= Involving the creation of new objects, either from nothing or by using existing objects as a basis, as in transmutation. Aversions of this type may involve a user uncontrollably altering the landscape wherever they go. Examples: *Boston Rostami (Kickstart My Heart); Creating any iconic horror movie weapon. *Henry Ginette (Metal Fingers); Generating barbed wire from his body. *Lucy Hausler (Crawling King Snake); Turning people who see her eyes into gems. *Thomas Hausler (A Warm Gun); He can remake the weapons he's previously seen. |-|Kinetic= Utilizing telekinesis to alter the environment, moving objects without touching them. In most cases, users will be restricted to moving a specific group of objects, such as water or metal, but the exact restrictions vary between individuals. In the case that a user is able to move any kind of object, they’re said to have "True Telekinesis". The level of control needed to move an object is dependent on practice, willpower, individual quirks, and the limit of mass that can be moved at one time. Examples: *Isabelle Hausler (Mr. Blue Sky); Controlling hydrogen. *Masako Arakawa (Helter Skelter); Controlling metals. *Sister Ray (Inutile Précaution); True Telekinesis. |-|Psychic= These are mind based powers, altering the thoughts of others or oneself. Abilities ranging from the simple power of an enhanced memory to something more complex like precognition or mind control are all part of this group. Abnormalities with both telepathic and telekinetic powers are termed Psychokinetic. Examples: *Blake Ginette (Rat Salad); Creating a virus that lets her put anyone infected to sleep, then enter and control their dreams. *Elise Watson (Beethoven Virus); Predicts the immediate future constantly. *Kunta Kaligi (To Pimp A Butterfly); High-level telepathy, including the ability to make people morally align themselves with him. *Lili Király (VOODOO KINGDOM); Turns any amount of blood in her body into an extremely addictive narcotic. |-|Mechakinetic= Specialized Abnormalities that deal with manipulating technology to different ends. Users are capable of intuitively understanding the workings of a mechanism (or code in the case of software) through simple exposure, and can build (or program) advanced technology within an extremely short span of time. These are known to be the most homogeneous kind of Abnormalities, mostly varying by the skill, imagination, and resources the user is working with, but distinguishing quirks are always present. *Chris Statham (Savoy); Constructing steam-powered machines that are nonetheless advanced and efficient. *Eileen Wells (Voyager); Building anything using even the garbage as a component. Her machines are also known to become more advanced in spite of resources as long as she keeps working on them. *Guido Mitnick (Hacker); Extremely precise control over software and programs, rendering technology beyond repair. *Robert Clarke (Blue In Grey); Compacting different machines into smaller, more efficient machines. Inheritance The traits of an Abnormality are not usually taken from the parents. If one person who is biologically altered due to their powers has a child, that child will not inherit the biological changes. In a similar fashion, it isn't common for a child to possess the Abnormality that is simply a fusion of the parent Abnormalities, which can vary considerably between close relatives. Thomas and Adler Hausler, as brothers, possess wildly different powers: Thomas is an excellent killer, and Adler has the power to heal people. Their parents, David and Masako, have completely different abilities: the power to manipulate chi and turn into metal, respectively. On rare occasions, one's Abnormality may take after the traits of both the Abnormalities of the parents. These result in fusions, to varying degrees. Statistically speaking, an Abnormality of this kind will only occur once out of every thirty seven individuals. Effects on Animals Although humans will always manifest Abnormalities, it can also rarely occur in some animals. Animals that manifest Abnormalities may display greater intelligence than other members of their species, either prior to or after they become an Abnormal.